32xx movement problem poll and data thread

[Wllnv19]

My JC DSSD was losing 12 seconds a day..it’s been at RSC since Feb1..

[TheVTCGuy]

Oh I’m so glad this thread is back on the first page..... I really was done with it as in my opinion, some posters merely are exercising this thread as an agenda... BUT, I will make this post respectful and contributive, (I wonder if others will as well). Here is my current situation.

My 3235 is six months old today. I have been keeping close tabs the last 30 days, it has run as consistent as it’s first five months, (about) minus 1.5 seconds a day. From week to week and as close as I could time it, the best week was -1.37 seconds per day (seven day average) and the worst it was -1.67 seconds a day over a seven day average.

I can’t claim these times are exact, I used a time app on my phone and visually looking at my second hand, but I CAN confidently state it is holding at about the -1.5 seconds per day from the first day I put it on; (I wear it pretty much 24/7). This is within the +-2 per day advertised and I am very happy with its performance. Now, I understand there are quite a few posts that state six months was about the turning point where it started to degenerate. I will continue to observe over the next few months and am very interested (and hopeful) in the results. My personal opinion is that newer movements have some sort of “fix” or at least an adjustment that helps this issue. I have no proof, but it appears (just from my casual observations) that movements from 16,17...2018, seem to have a higher occurrence of problems. I can’t prove this, but it would be plausible that newer models have had this issue addressed at least in some respect. I don’t believe this is a permanent “Fix,” but it is feasible that Rolex puts more lubricant, or adjusts torque levels, or whatever some kind of adjustment that makes this issue less severe and take longer to materialize.

Oh, and one last thing, this is also my opinion, but when a permanent fix is reached, we won’t hear about it. There will be no announcement from Rolex saying: “We screwed up” The Fix will be implemented at service centers and ADs with service capability whenever the watch comes in for service. I don’t think we will ever receive a recall notice or such.

OK, that’s it. I wonder what the responses will be.....

[Dirt]

Originally Posted by TheVTCGuy

Oh I’m so glad this thread is back on the first page..... I really was done with it as in my opinion, some posters merely are exercising this thread as an agenda... BUT, I will make this post respectful and contributive, (I wonder if others will as well). Here is my current situation.

My 3235 is six months old today. I have been keeping close tabs the last 30 days, it has run as consistent as it’s first five months, (about) minus 1.5 seconds a day. From week to week and as close as I could time it, the best week was -1.37 seconds per day (seven day average) and the worst it was -1.67 seconds a day over a seven day average.

I can’t claim these times are exact, I used a time app on my phone and visually looking at my second hand, but I CAN confidently state it is holding at about the -1.5 seconds per day from the first day I put it on; (I wear it pretty much 24/7). This is within the +-2 per day advertised and I am very happy with its performance. Now, I understand there are quite a few posts that state six months was about the turning point where it started to degenerate. I will continue to observe over the next few months and am very interested (and hopeful) in the results. My personal opinion is that newer movements have some sort of “fix” or at least an adjustment that helps this issue. I have no proof, but it appears (just from my casual observations) that movements from 16,17...2018, seem to have a higher occurrence of problems. I can’t prove this, but it would be plausible that newer models have had this issue addressed at least in some respect. I don’t believe this is a permanent “Fix,” but it is feasible that Rolex puts more lubricant, or adjusts torque levels, or whatever some kind of adjustment that makes this issue less severe and take longer to materialize.

Oh, and one last thing, this is also my opinion, but when a permanent fix is reached, we won’t hear about it. There will be no announcement from Rolex saying: “We screwed up” The Fix will be implemented at service centers and ADs with service capability whenever the watch comes in for service. I don’t think we will ever receive a recall notice or such.

OK, that’s it. I wonder what the responses will be.....

All food for thought and for the most part I agree
We shall see

[Chromosome]

Originally Posted by Chromosome

2019 DSSD which was running really slow (losing minutes every hour) that I just sent to RSC. Will update when I get it back

Got watch back from RSC ~5 weeks ago. Been running much better. I asked the AD who sent the watch to RSC what the problem was and he said Rolex don't divulge that info on Warranty fixes

[saxo3]

Originally Posted by Wllnv19

My JC DSSD was losing 12 seconds a day..it’s been at RSC since Feb1..

First owner and when did you buy it?
You took some timegrapher data?

[peterpl]

Havent read the entire thread so not sure its been discussed but the DD40 also had problems when it initially released. You can search on here.

New generation 3255 movement and late date changes. Many ppl experienced this that the date change would happen around 1:30am o 2am. All models I think dated 2015-2017 would be impacted by it.

As usual in Rolex fashion nothing came out publicly they just quietly fixed them silently and of course if a customer like myself complained they also fixed mine under warranty.

[peterpl]

Originally Posted by rolexgiants

Anyone having trouble with the 32XX movement in the DD40? I’m not seeing any complaints...

Ah just reading this. As above YES DD40 Calibre 3255 also had issues upon release. Most dominantly date change issues.

I know a handful of ppl with complained but Rolex never admits anything. They just fixed it under warranty for me.

I also had a DJ41 which I have sold now with the 3235 movement. It was one of the early ones as well. Amplitude was low and also late date change around 00:30am ALL the time. Wasn't as bad as the DD40 but still bad.

[saxo3]

Originally Posted by TheVTCGuy

I will make this post respectful and contributive, (I wonder if others will as well)......I wonder what the responses will be.....

Many thanks for coming back this way.

It is very nice to hear your positive experience with your 3235 (bought 10/2020). What watch (Ref. Nr.) you own?

All your data are very valid and confirm that a recently bought 32xx runs perfectly; I hope for you that this remains.

I also fully agree (but have no proof) that Rolex has implemented fixes, which hopefully will last very long. For sure we will never hear any recall or announcement from Rolex SA.

I'm mostly interested to see if 32xx watches sold in 2019, 2020 still develop timekeeping issues. My three 32xx from 2017 & 2018 certainly had the sickness. Two 3285 (CHNR, BLRO) from 2018 are still bad, they wait....

I repeat what I have shown several times here: my 126600 SD43 (3235) was repaired late 2019 and it is running very well since then, see summary plot below.

[francis]

Originally Posted by saxo3

Many thanks for coming back this way.

It is very nice to hear your positive experience with your 3235 (bought 10/2020). What watch (Ref. Nr.) you own?

All your data are very valid and confirm that a recently bought 32xx runs perfectly; I hope for you that this remains.

I also fully agree (but have no proof) that Rolex has implemented fixes, which hopefully will last very long. For sure we will never hear any recall or announcement from Rolex SA.

I'm mostly interested to see if 32xx watches sold in 2019, 2020 still develop timekeeping issues. My three 32xx from 2017 & 2018 certainly had the sickness. Two 3285 (CHNR, BLRO) from 2018 are still bad, they wait....

I repeat what I have shown several times here: my 126600 SD43 (3235) was repaired late 2019 and it is running very well since then, see summary plot below.

Glad yours is working as advertised. Unfortunately my late 2019 did not. Started losing 30 seconds a day. Was a drag. Is a hassle to send in and wait and then the worry about the scratches on the case from them “fixing” the watch.
I hope yours stays strong!


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[CFR]

Originally Posted by peterpl

Ah just reading this. As above YES DD40 Calibre 3255 also had issues upon release. Most dominantly date change issues.

I know a handful of ppl with complained but Rolex never admits anything. They just fixed it under warranty for me.

I also had a DJ41 which I have sold now with the 3235 movement. It was one of the early ones as well. Amplitude was low and also late date change around 00:30am ALL the time. Wasn't as bad as the DD40 but still bad.

I bought a preowned DD40 in early 2020. It was one of the first 3255's, warranty dated September 2015. Day+date changed too late, so I sent back to RSC three (3) times because they couldn't seem to fix that correctly. After the third time, the day/date changed close enough to midnight (within a few minutes), but I noticed the timekeeping was slow (it was fine when I first got it back from RSC but increasingly slowed down over about 6 weeks until it was well out of spec, slow, when fully wound), so I sent it back to RSC. RSC said they found "irregularities" with the movement and wanted to replace the whole movement (under warranty). I said "Sure!" and 12 weeks later I got it back with a brand new 3255 movement. I don't wear it too often but hopefully it's fine now -- was less than 1 sec/day slow when I got it back -- but it seems like it's somehow IMPOSSIBLE to regulate a 32xx movement to run fast, lol (because I always ask for a few sec/day fast but it never happens -- not with the DD40 or the DSSD JC -- always slightly on the slow side).

[ofelas]

saxo3 seems to be dedicated to accurately measuring movements/foibles.

Good enough for me, I wish more people put their money where their mouth is

[francis]

Originally Posted by ofelas

saxo3 seems to be dedicated to accurately measuring movements/foibles.

Good enough for me, I wish more people put their money where their mouth is

I’m with you.
I dislike being thought of as an anecdote by some here. So do my three other friends who have this series movement and who have all had to send back to RSC because of - 30 to - 50 seconds a day..... Some here just love drinking the Kool Aid. It’s baffling actually....

[GreatScott]

This is a real issue. Talk to ADs and they will confirm an increase in warranty returns to fix timing problems.

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[Pandacat]

Anyone else find it concerning that all the new rolex releases house the 32xx movements? Isn’t rolex just digging a deeper and deeper hole for themselves to eventually climb out of? Ironically, this doesn’t seem to deter the people from buying them.

[aayates]

Originally Posted by Pandacat

Anyone else find it concerning that all the new rolex releases house the 32xx movements? Isn’t rolex just digging a deeper and deeper hole for themselves to eventually climb out of? Ironically, this doesn’t seem to deter the people from buying them.

Who's to say Rolex didn't find a fix (if the problem was statistically significant given the number of watches produced)? Why would Rolex double down on new releases with a defective movement? - because of strong sales? Doubt-it.

[RTG]

Have multiple 32xx watches. Never noticed an issue with any of them. They all keep perfect time. Never need adjusting when worn as a daily.

I have one 31xx that needs to be adjusted every month if laying on its back at night. When rested on its side, it keeps perfect time.

No koolaid, just rain water and pure grain alcohol. Very happy with the accuracy of my Rolex 32xx watches.

[saxo3]

Originally Posted by RTG

Have multiple 32xx watches. Never noticed an issue with any of them. They all keep perfect time. Never need adjusting when worn as a daily.

Very good that you have multiple 32xx watches that are running fine.
Can you please list here your watch references and dates of purchase?

[saxo3]

Originally Posted by Pandacat

Anyone else find it concerning that all the new rolex releases house the 32xx movements?
Isn’t rolex just digging a deeper and deeper hole for themselves to eventually climb out of?

No, No

[saxo3]

Originally Posted by aayates

Who's to say Rolex didn't find a fix (if the problem was statistically significant given the number of watches produced)?
Why would Rolex double down on new releases with a defective movement? - because of strong sales? Doubt-it.

Agreed. Very likely they found a fix; not clear when and if it was the "final" fix.
The 3200 series caliber is not a defective movement.

[DougFNJ]

It was suggested I paste this here:

You guys have been a wealth of knowledge on this forum. I have learned more about movements in this forum in a month than I have in years.

I bought my Sub Date 41 with 3235 movement over a month ago. I wear it constantly. I’ve been finding it losing time. It started at less than a second slow, I’ve been finding it getting slower, from an app I use, it’s now -3. I figured I’d go to my watchmaker and ask him to put it on the machine to check the true timing. When he came back, he told me amplitude is very low for a new watch. From what I’ve read, it doesn’t seem abnormal to have lower amplitude with the longer reserve, but he was telling me I might want to consider sending it in for service.

I’ve read a lot of longer term info from the 3235 in Datejusts, but not seeing a lot with the Subs. From looking at the attached readings, would members hear that know a lot better than I have reasons for concern? Thanks in advance.




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[saxo3]

The data were taken after full winding of the caliber?

What is the difference between the 2 papers?

The averaged rate (x) and the delta (D) are very good.

The amplitudes in dial up and dial down positions (279; 272) are not bad for a 3235, I have measured worse. My repaired 3235 (SD43) has 290 degrees after full winding, look at the graphs in my post #818.

Only looking at these two data sets I would conclude that this watch movement has no problem. One could judge much better having the same timegrapher measurement after 24 hours, with the watch at rest all time.

I hope that helps.

[DougFNJ]

Originally Posted by saxo3

The data were taken after full winding of the caliber?

What is the difference between the 2 papers?

The averaged rate (x) and the delta (D) are very good.

The amplitudes in dial up and dial down positions (279; 272) are not bad for a 3235, I have measured worse. My repaired 3235 (SD43) has 290 degrees after full winding, look at the graphs in my post #818.

Only looking at these two data sets I would conclude that this watch movement has no problem. One could judge much better having the same timegrapher measurement after 24 hours, with the watch at rest all time.

I hope that helps.

Thank you, VERY helpful. This was after full winding. Should had added, he timed it twice. He timed it the first time, was concerned with the low amplitude, so he put it on the second time and came back with both printouts.


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[saxo3]

Originally Posted by DougFNJ

Thank you, VERY helpful. This was after full winding. Should had added, he timed it twice. He timed it the first time, was concerned with the low amplitude, so he put it on the second time and came back with both printouts.

Your watchmaker may have compared your 3235 results with the 3100 series movements and therefore expected amplitudes around 300-310 degrees for DU and DD positions, which I also measure for my 3130, see graph below.

[DougFNJ]

Originally Posted by saxo3

Your watchmaker may have compared your 3235 results with the 3100 series movements and therefore expected amplitudes around 300-310 degrees for DU and DD positions, which I also measure for my 3130, see graph below.

I’m going to read through this entire thread, this is a great learning experience.
I’m going to call him tomorrow, but in the meantime, he led me to believe normal Amplitude on any new watch is over 300. But now I’m thinking as you said, he may just be referring to Submariners he has worked on and comparing it to the 3235. He likely doesn’t see a lot of these movements as they are still under warranty.


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[sheldonsmith]

Yes, correct. The amplitude on the 32xx watches is much less (by design) than the 31xx watches.

-Sheldon

[saxo3]

Originally Posted by sheldonsmith

Yes, correct. The amplitude on the 32xx watches is much less (by design) than the 31xx watches.

Not sure ... my 3235 runs with 290 degrees after 40 full crown turns, my 3130 with 305 degrees.
This difference in amplitudes is only 5%.

[sheldonsmith]

This is the highest amplitude my 3235 has been; this was measured after it came back from Dallas RSC.

I agree that 290+ is optimal, but that has not been my consistent experience.

My experience is well documented here: https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=699001

What is frustrating is knowing what is normal for the new escape mechanism (amplitude and angle of lift. 53 or 55 degrees). I read a Nick Hacko article yesterday indicating that lower amplitude contributes to longer power reserve (aka Omega).

~ Sheldon

[TheVTCGuy]

Sooooo..... One of the releases is the new 2265 Explorer II. It has a 3285 movement. Now, Rolex, is arguably the most successful watch manufacturer in the world. IN-arguably, one of the most recognized brand names in the world. You don’t earn that success by making crappy products, ignoring problems with their product, other factors. What is my point?

I don’t believe there is a problem (or lack of a fix) with the 32XX movements if Rolex continues to produce and place these movements in their watches. Decisions like that would have brought down this company decades ago.

[Wllnv19]

Originally Posted by saxo3

First owner and when did you buy it?
You took some timegrapher data?

Yes..first owner ..it was purchased 8/2018...came back from RSC Dallas 2 days ago..it’s been spot on so far..all the paperwork I got back from them said..Check Movement ...doesn’t say anything else..

[the_natural]

Picked up my 124060 from the AD in Nov 2020. I honestly haven't kept a very close eye on its timekeeping but pretty sure it was losing just under 2 seconds per day. I'll watch more closely and report back.